At the end of last year, I wrote an article about Image being the best comic book company of 2025. Every week, a new issue or series is released that will appeal to someone, thanks to various different tales and genres. If you’re a fan of Image, you know that this isn’t new. However, it appears that Amazon has been paying attention to its stories more than other TV companies and streaming platforms.
Amazon’s Prime Video has produced two series so far. The first being the wildly popular Invincible, and the other being Paper Girls. The latter was canceled, but not due to the show’s cast being bad. It seems like live-action may have been the program’s downfall. Nevertheless, you can tell that Prime Video hasn’t lost faith in Image Comics thanks to them greenlighting one of the best comic books ever, Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction (Batman) and Chip Zdarsky (Captain America).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Prime Video’s Sex Criminals will be co-created by Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick), and Tze Chun (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai). Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals and The Big Sick) is also part of the cast and will likely play one of the most important roles, Jon, or one of the antagonists, Badal. As of now, it doesn’t look like the star of the series, Suzie, has been cast. But this writer has faith that the creative team will pick the perfect person to play her.
One of the biggest ways this show can succeed is by staying true to the source material. Sometimes, things must be changed to adapt to the time, or moments are cut for time. In this case, everything in the 31 issues of Sex Criminals should remain part of the show. Every moment, no matter how small, was crucial to the story.
Another important reason to stay true to the source is that the comic book series was ahead of its time. Not only did Sex Criminals have creators who did everything they could to accurately represent the LGBTQ+ community, but they also did so ahead of it becoming "popular," or feeling forced. When people see that gay, straight, bisexual, and asexual people are represented in a positive light, it will lead to people becoming more invested in the series.
Sex Criminals has the opportunity to be one of the greatest comic book adaptations ever. The story is perfect, the characters are deep, and the comedy is perverse without being gratuitous. The only thing that’s needed is the right people cast in the project. If Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky are involved with this series, then rest assured, the casting will be done right. And there’s no doubt that Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, and Tze Chun will make the right choices.
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